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### Viewing cable 08BOGOTA902, PARAMILITARY DEMOBILIZATION CREATES GREATER

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Reference ID | Created | Released | Classification | Origin
--- | --- | --- | --- | ---
08BOGOTA902 | 2008-03-06 21:09 | 2011-04-17 00:12 | CONFIDENTIAL | Embassy Bogota
Appears in these articles: http://www.semana.com/wikileaks/Seccion/168.aspx

`

    VZCZCXYZ0088
    PP RUEHWEB

    DE RUEHBO #0902/01 0662107
    ZNY CCCCC ZZH
    P 062107Z MAR 08
    FM AMEMBASSY BOGOTA
    TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 1811
    INFO RUEHBR/AMEMBASSY BRASILIA PRIORITY 8076
    RUEHCV/AMEMBASSY CARACAS PRIORITY 0059
    RUEHLP/AMEMBASSY LA PAZ MAR 9285
    RUEHPE/AMEMBASSY LIMA PRIORITY 5984
    RUEHZP/AMEMBASSY PANAMA PRIORITY 1353
    RUEHQT/AMEMBASSY QUITO PRIORITY 6636
    RUEHGL/AMCONSUL GUAYAQUIL PRIORITY 4321

` `

    id: 144638
    date: 3/6/2008 21:07
    refid: 08BOGOTA902
    origin: Embassy Bogota
    classification: CONFIDENTIAL
    destination:
    header:
    VZCZCXYZ0088
    PP RUEHWEB

    DE RUEHBO #0902/01 0662107
    ZNY CCCCC ZZH
    P 062107Z MAR 08
    FM AMEMBASSY BOGOTA
    TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 1811
    INFO RUEHBR/AMEMBASSY BRASILIA PRIORITY 8076
    RUEHCV/AMEMBASSY CARACAS PRIORITY 0059
    RUEHLP/AMEMBASSY LA PAZ MAR 9285
    RUEHPE/AMEMBASSY LIMA PRIORITY 5984
    RUEHZP/AMEMBASSY PANAMA PRIORITY 1353
    RUEHQT/AMEMBASSY QUITO PRIORITY 6636
    RUEHGL/AMCONSUL GUAYAQUIL PRIORITY 4321

    ----------------- header ends ----------------

    C O N F I D E N T I A L BOGOTA 000902

    SIPDIS

    SIPDIS

    E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/06/2018
    TAGS: PTER PGOV PREL ECON SOCI CO
    SUBJECT: PARAMILITARY DEMOBILIZATION CREATES GREATER
    POLITICAL SPACE IN MEDIO MAGDALENA REGION, BUT SECURITY
    CHALLENGES REMAIN

    Classified By: Political Counselor John S. Creamer.
    Reasons: 1.4 (b) and (d).

    --------
    SUMMARY
    --------

    ¶1. (C) Local civic and Catholic church leaders said the
    paramilitary demobilization and parapolitical investigations
    created new political space in the Medio Magdelena region,
    noting the triumph of reformist mayors in southern Bolivar
    department and Barrancabermeja in the October local
    elections. Still, they cautioned that the security situation
    remains in flux, with the FARC, some former paramilitaries,
    and narcotraffickers cooperating on specific drug deals and
    resisting efforts to promote economic alternatives to coca.
    Local leaders advocate a stronger GOC civilian presence in
    rural areas, especially in southern Bolivar, as well as
    better coordination between eradication and alternative
    development programs.  A local military commander conceded
    many peasants continue to view the Army with suspicion, but
    said the military is making an effort to improve relations
    with rural residents. END SUMMARY.

    ¶2. (U) Polcouns visited Barrancabermeja in the Medio
    Magdalena (MM) region on February 13 and met with local
    military commanders, human rights and development groups, and
    union leaders. The Medio Magdalena region consists of 30,000
    square kilometers surrounding the central Magdalena river,
    and includes parts of four departments--western Northern
    Santander, western Santander, southern Bolivar, and Eastern
    Antioquia.  Medio Magdalena has 800,000 inhabitants --
    roughly 40% of whom live in rural areas.

    --------------------
    NEW POLITICAL SPACE
    --------------------

    ¶3. (C) Father De Roux, a Jesuit priest and head of the Peace
    and Development Program in Medio-Magdalena (PDPMM),  said the
    paramilitary demobilization--coupled with the parapolitical
    investigations--created new political space in the region,
    leading to greater participation in the October local
    elections and the defeat of many candidates affiliated with
    the former paramilitaries. He said the victories of Carlos
    Contreras and Jose Zendale in the Barrancabermeja and Santa
    Rosa del Sur mayoral races were especially significant.
    Contreras comes out of the regional peace process movement,
    and is committed to combating public corruption through
    implementation of transparent, participatory budget
    practices.  Zendale, whose campaign manager was killed a week
    after the election, campaigned against local narcotraffickers
    and corruption.  De Roux said both will need technical and
    political support to overcome an entrenched system of
    kickbacks, clientism, and narco penetration of public
    institutions.

    ¶4. (C) Local OAS Mission in Support of the Peace Process in
    Colombia (MAPP/OAS) XXXXXXXXXXXX agreed the
    exception to the overall trend toward greater political
    openness in the MM is the  area around Puerto Berrio and
    Puerto Boyaca. Paramilitary groups established control over
    this region in the early 1980s, and their political allies
    continue to dominate local politics. Lopez said the region's
    para-affiliation is literally "written on the wall" -- a
    billboard outside the city of Puerto Boyaca proclaims it "The
    Anti-subversive Capital of Colombia."  XXXXXXXXXXXX
    said the MAPP/OAS may propose that the billboard be
    removed to symbolize political change, but recognizes
    that a substantial part of the local population views the
    billboard with pride.

    --------------------
    SECURITY CONDITIONS
    --------------------

    ¶5. (C) De Roux and Lopez said MM is both a coca growing and
    transshipment route, attracting the  "big leagues" of
    organized crime such as the FARC, demobilized paramilitary
    leaders who have returned to crime such as Miguel and Victor
    Mejia ("los Mellizos"), and remnants of the Wilber Varela
    narcotrafficking group.  The result is continuing
    instability, particularly in Southern Bolivar.  Lt. Col. Ivan
    Herrera, commander of the Nueva Granada Batallion which

    operates in Bolivar, said despite their supposed ideological
    differences, the various criminal groups cooperate on
    specific drug shipments and deals.  Local peasant leader
    Miguel Daza--a strong proponent of alternative development in
    Santa Rosa del Sur in Bolivar--was murdered on February 16.
    Santa Rosa Mayor Zendale blamed the murder on a FARC alliance
    with local narcotraffickers.  De Roux said the FARC has
    declared it will tax peasants in the region even if they
    abandon coca cultivation for alternative crops.

    ¶6. (C) XXXXXXXXXXXX the Union Sindical
    Obrero (USO) which represents petroleum workers (largely
    employees of state-owned Ecopetrol), noted some advances in
    the protection of union leaders and members.  Still, he said
    from 1989-1999, 80 USO members were killed, and 33 were
    detained on spurious criminal charges. He claimed the GOC
    continues to try to link the USO to the ELN, alleging the
    military use "false" intelligence reports to jail union
    members on rebellion charges. XXXXXXXXXXXX opposes the FTA, but
    appreciated USG efforts to tie it to strengthening union
    freedoms.  He said the unions recognize the importance of
    "internationalizing" labor issues.  XXXXXXXXXXXX added that
    Ecopetrol's outsourcing of jobs to subcontractors poses a
    major challenge to USO, as does privatization. The local USO
    affiliate has 1180 members who work for Ecopetrol in
    Barrancabermeja, plus 220 employed by subcontractors.

    -------------------------------------------
    COUNTERNARCOTICS IN A CHANGING ENVIRONMENT
    -------------------------------------------

    ¶7. (C) De Roux noted the need to combine eradication efforts
    with alternative development projects for peasants.  Current
    manual and spray eradication is implemented with no effort to
    explain to peasants what comes next.  He noted that the
    Minister of Agriculture prefers large, agribusiness projects,
    when what is needed is technical assistance and credit
    programs for small producers growing cacao and African palm.
    Herrera said eradication is necessary to reduce the finances
    of illegal groups, but added that it generates recruits for
    the FARC and other criminal bands. He said the GOC's Accion
    Social is trying to strengthen local civilian institutions
    and to promote economic alternatives to coca, but added that
    the agency's efforts are in an incipient stage. Lopez noted
    that to some extent, PDPMM's development programs fill the
    gap left by GOC civilian agencies. PDPMM receives funding
    from the European Union, USAID, the GOC, and other donors.

    -----------------------------------
    MILITARY AND CIVILIAN RELATIONSHIP
    -----------------------------------

    ¶8. (C) XXXXXXXXXXXX complained that security forces do not
    recognize the realities that peasants face.  In many areas,
    peasant leaders are not FARC supporters, but must deal with
    local FARC commanders to survive.  The military frequently
    believes all peasant organizations are tied to the FARC,
    leading to harassment and arrest of peaceful community
    leaders. For example, XXXXXXXXXXXX asserted that 12 leaders of the
    Peasant Association of Cimitarra Valley charged with
    rebellion, including six detained by authorities, are
    innocent.  He added that narcotraffickers' corruption of
    police and military officials in the region, especially in
    the Santa Rosa area, also remains a serious problem. Still,
    XXXXXXXXXXXX said an increased GOC military presence in the area
    is key to providing the security needed for economic and
    democratic development.

    ¶9. (C) Herrera conceded that many peasants still view the
    Army as the "enemy."  In the past, soldiers mistreated
    peasants, engaging in petty theft and viewing them as
    "guerrillas."  These tensions are exacerbated by some human
    rights groups that exaggerate military abuses.  Still,
    Herrera said the military has mounted a major effort to
    improve relations with the local residents. He had
    participated in the UN High Commission on Human Rights'
    visits to the regions to review extrajudicial killings
    case-by-case with military commanders.  Herrera said the
    visits were positive, and helped the military to institute
    better controls to address this issue. He stressed that his
    unit makes an effort to ensure that the Prosecutor General's
    Technical Investigative Corps (CTI) investigates the scene of
    all combat deaths.  Asked about the detention of the
    Cimitarra peasant leaders, he said the military has evidence

    of their ties to the FARC, but stressed that the civilian
    justice system would determine their guilt or innocence.
    Brownfield

    =======================CABLE ENDS============================

`